'No minors were caught consuming alcohol'
Home Affairs Minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici faced a barrage of supplementary questions after he said that between January and September this year no minors had been caught consuming alcohol.
Answering another parliamentary question, he said that over the same period there had been 108 persons under the age of 16 who had been found in entertainment establishments in St Julians and Victoria.
The police were taking court action against 62 persons responsible for these establishments.
When asked by various opposition MPs how he could explain the perceived anomaly, Dr Mifsud Bonnici admitted that they were not mutually compatible, and he would talk to the Police Commissioner at the first opportunity.
Seeking to explain why the police could not have done better, he said there used to be discrepancies between the Criminal Code and a number of legal notices in the definition of minors. The situation had been made more workable with the more recent issuing of four legal notices.
Asked why nobody seemed to have picked up the anomaly with effective monitoring, Dr Mifsud Bonnici said that meaningful monitoring of the frequent reports should be ongoing.
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Ernst Schmidt
Oct 29th 2009, 08:03
This must be a joke! Three minors from my daughters school class ended up in hospital lately after consuming alcohol in Paceville!
Something wrong here!
Bar owners should be held responsible! But obviously all they care about is to sell alcohol and make as much profit as possible!
anthony girard
Oct 29th 2009, 07:43
No minors were caught consuming alcohol.
This must rate as the tragi-joke of the year.
Young people are lying on the floor in the streets of Paceville and elsewhere every weekend - drunk and probably doped as well.
DVella
Oct 28th 2009, 14:15
Is the Honourable Minister aware of the location of Paceville?? Has he ever attended a 'traditional' village feast??? Does he even live in Malta????? (!)
Galea. L
Oct 28th 2009, 13:15
Can they tell us how they did not catch any minors drinking alcohol in all the feasts around Malta throughout the whole summer?
Who do you think you can fool Carm?
Joe Cordina
Oct 28th 2009, 11:12
It is not always as staight forward as it seems. For a person to be convicted of consuming alcahol when under age, evidence of the drink would be needed. Does this mean that the police would need to confiscate the drink and exhibit it to the court which then appoints an expert to confirm its alcohol content/ Or would it be enough for the police officer to take a sip???
Christian Sciberras
Oct 28th 2009, 09:55
"no minors had been caught consuming alcohol."
As usual, that doesn't explain anything at all. Not finding something does not necesary mean the absence of it.
However, if the results are really true, I'd agree there might be some progress. Though I highly doubt the claims made.